Individuos (4)

Brian Matthews, Former Trustee, Belmont Redwood Shores School District

Laura Reed, Community Leader

Judy King

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Documentos sobre determinadas posturas

Priorities if Elected

Summary

A summary of my priorities if re-elected to the City Council. Additional background information is also included.

I have been privileged to serve on Belmont’s City Council since 2005.During the past several years, we undertook initiatives to help address affordable housing needs, improve Belmont’s deteriorating infrastructure, enhance our Fire and Police Departments, improve Park and Recreation facilities, and enhance the quality of life for those living and working in Belmont.

Working together, I am proud of what we accomplished.There is still much more we can, and should, do.I am excited about serving you for another four years to build on the progress we have made.

WEBSITE

For additional information, including a list of those endorsing me, as well as to volunteer your help, please visit my website:

WarrenLieberman2018.com

or call me at 650.620.0000

Some Priorities

Belmont Fire Department.I helped negotiate contracts enabling Belmont to have a more financially sound Fire Department for the past 10 years.Now, we are negotiating with San Mateo and Foster City to further improve our Fire Department.The Council appointed me as its representative in this negotiation process. I would like to have the opportunity to complete this process.I have championed working with neighboring communities in innovative ways and benefitting from regional best practices.Our efforts have been successful.

Parks, Recreation, Open Spaces, and Sports.Belmont’s Babe Ruth 15’s just completed an incredibly successful season in which they were NorCal champs and narrowly missed participating in the Babe Ruth World Series.Their efforts remind us of our responsibility for protecting and enhancing our recreational spaces to ensure diverse opportunities are available for all. I have championed the idea of working with neighboring communities in innovative ways and benefitting from regional best practices. Our efforts have been very successful.

Smart Economic Development.For Belmont to thrive, it is critical that the businesses in our community succeed. We updated our downtown zoning to facilitate this.The City has the responsibility to ensure that the necessary conditions for this exist while insuring we do so in a manner that promotes the sense of a “village” that so many in Belmont want.

Infrastructure.Belmont’s voters passed Measure I in 2017, providing needed funding to improve Belmont’s infrastructure.I will continue to focus on identifying creative strategies to improve our roads and infrastructure, which as we all know, need a lot of work!I will continue to work for increasing the “walkability” of our city.

Outreach.I have consistently advocated for community outreach. My goal is to represent and work for all of Belmont’s residents. Please get involved.You can make a difference!

Belmont's Fire Department

Summary

Provides additional detail on some our efforts to improve Belmont's Fire Department as well as information on the preparation and readiness of our Fire Department to respond to emergencies.

Belmont is fortunate to have had an excellent fire department for a number of years and we have taken active steps to make it better.Currently, Belmont has a Shared Services Agreement with San Mateo and Foster City.We are currently working to form a single Fire Department with San Mateo and Foster City.The Belmont City Council appointed Councilmember Charles Stone and myself to be the Council’s representatives in that effort. Having a multi-city Fire Department means that we will have more firefighters familiar with Belmont's terrain and facilities and should help us be even more prepared to deal with emergencies. It also means we have better access to specialized equipment (such as fire trucks for multi-story buildings and engines that have the ability to deliver water up to a mile into a canyon!). In addition, we can do all of this at a lower cost to Belmont’s residents, allowing us to invest additional resources to further improve our Fire Department as needed.

Preparedness, not just response, is critically important.Amongst the many things that we do to be better prepared, our Fire Department categorizes days as to the threat of fire and will pre-position equipment when the threat of fire danger is high.Also, when responding to a call, the amount of equipment may vary depending on weather conditions.In short, our Fire Department wants to do everything it can to get things under control as quickly as possible.

In addition to the resources that can be quickly provided by Belmont, Foster City, and San Mateo, we have mutual aid with the entire county. If a wildfire starts in any city in San Mateo County, coordinated and county-wide dispatch ensures that significant firefighting resources are on site very shortly: much faster, than what more remote areas typically experience. Not only do we have two stations in Belmont, but there are also nearby Cal-Fire and San Mateo stations (De Anza Road.) In addition, in an emergency, the gate at Hallmark/Crestview can be opened very quickly and engines can get into Belmont from southern areas that way.

In addition to the resources in our department and county-wide, we also have access to the Cal-Fire firefighting helicopter which can be to the Belmont Hills area in 12-15 minutes from where it is stationed. This chopper has a roughly 400-gallon tank on the bottom of it and can refill at the reservoir.

We have some of the best firefighters and command staff in the nation. They are acutely aware of the dangers posed by wildfires and drill to handle that and other scenarios all the time. Please know that while we certainly are working to make things even better, we have invested heavily in time and resources over many years to ensure we are ready for all types of emergencies.

The Fire Departments in San Mateo County work jointly on dispatch and repositioning equipment if necessary when units are dispatched. This means all of the San Mateo County Fire Departments works together as if it were a single Fire Department with respect to being prepared to handle multiple emergencies that occur simultaneously.

These are some of the key steps we’ve taken to enhance our Fire Department but we must, and do, continue to look for additional ways to improve.

Although we strive to be prepared as possible, it is up to all of us to be as aware and vigilant as possible. If you see anything that concerns you, please contact Belmont’s Fire or Police Department. They are ready to respond and want to ensure we have as safe a community as possible.